Race Report: Copper Valley Circuit Race 2026 - Men’s Cat 3/4

Race: Copper Valley Circuit Race - Men’s Cat 3/4

Date: May 31, 2026

AVRT racers: Drew Matthews, Suhith Rajesh

Top Result: 12 / 22 (Suhith, to be clear this was last of those who simply opted to finish)

Course: 60 minutes on a 5 mile (2 1/2 each way) out and back divided rolling road, with a u-turn on each side. Pavement is good quality but there are just a few rough patches to be attentive about.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/18734161469

Nutrition: 1 gel before the race, 1 bottle with 60g of carbs + 1 bottle with cold water. I used the very handy Bottle Grabs to take some neutral water.

Recap (written by Suhith):

The race plan was to try to stay on as long as possible in the heat after Drew and I both raced about an hour earlier. I found the race to have a rhythm of letting an attack, chase, rest however the accelerations were a lot sharper. I did zero chasing and focused on staying as far front as I could muster. However even from decent position I was having a tough time not letting gaps open up in front of me (sorry field) and I was getting shuffled back, sometimes off the back. Occasionally the pace would chill out and me and a couple other dropped riders would come back.

Unfortunately about 25minutes in I simply did not have the legs to come back and heard the dreaded racer sound of the moto getting closer and closer until the moto ref realizes you’re cooked and accelerates away from to the field.